Cigar-box.



T. E. PEARON.

CIGAR BOX. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 19',190a.

Patented Mar.8,1910.

toxin a r irn THOMAS E. FEARON, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AS$IGNOROF ONE-HALF TO CLIFTON MALONEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIGAR-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 191m.

Application filed November 19, 1908. Serial No. 463,461.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. FEARON, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Cigar-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct a cigar box as to lessenthe cost of the same as compared with the ordinary wooden boxes now inuse, and to provide for keeping the cigars in the desired moistcondition without the use of a separate humidor. This object I attain inthe manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal longitudinalsectional View of a cigar box constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view of part of thesame; Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating anotherconstruction of cigar box in accordance with my invention; Fig. 4 is atransverse vertical sectional view of part of the box shown in Fig. 2,and Fig. 5 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view illustrating amodified construction of a box of the type shown in Fig. 1.

Owing to the rapidly diminishing supply and constantly increasing costof the cedar wood of which cigar boxes are usually made, the cost ofsuch boxes is becoming prohibitive. The ordinary wooden box, more over,does not maintain the cigars in the proper moist condition from the timethe box is first opened until all of the cigars have been consumed. Myinvention has therefore been designed with the view of overcoming bothof these objections.

That form of box shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is composed wholly of sheetmetal, the body of the box consisting, preferably, of a single strip 1of sheet metal bent to proper form and having its edges united at onecorner by a suitable seam, as shown at 2. The back of the box has formedin it a pocket 3 for the reception of a pad 4 of absorbent material,which may be moistened and placed in the pocket before the cigars arepacked in the box and which serves to keep the contents of 1 the box inmoist condition for a considerable length of time, the pad being removedand remoistened, if necessary, as often as desired, depending upon thetime during which the cigars are permitted to remain in the box, orinstead of moistening the pad in the first instance, it may be dry whenfirst inserted so that it will absorb the moisture from the damp cigarswhen they are first placed in the box, and will continue to do so untilan equilibrium is established, after which time it will give out itsmoisture to prevent or retard the further drying of the c1gars.

The bottom 5 of the box may be secured to the body member of the same byany suitable form of joint 6 and the top 7 may be hinged to the bodymember by means of hinge members 9 formed respectively on the bodymember and top, and serving for the reception of a pivot wire 10, asshown in Fig. 2. In order that it may not interfere with the formationof these hinge and bottom joints, the pocket 3 is preferablydiscontinued before it reaches the top or bottom of the box.

If desired, the front, back and ends of the box may consist ofindependent pieces united together at the corners of the box as shown inFig." 5, and additional pockets may be formed in the front of the box,in the ends of the same or in the lid, depending upon the amount ofabsorbent material 4 which may be necessary to maintain the contents ofthe box in the desired moist condition.

Instead of forming the box of sheet metal the same may be composed ofsheets or slabs 11 of vulcanized fiber or other material impervious toair, these sheets being properly secured together at their meetingpoints, as for instance, by means of metal binding strips 12, one ormore of the sides of the box having a pocket 3 pressed therein for thereception of a moistening pad 4, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. In a box ofthis type the binding strips 12 preferably extend from top to bottom,from end to end, or from side to side of the box for the purpose ofmaking the joints as nearly air tight as possible.

A box constructed in either of the Ways described is cheaper than theordinary cedar wood box now employed, and permits of the ready pressingor molding of the pocket or pockets in the material of which the box iscomposed.

As the box material is impervious to air,

and the internal pocket has no communication With the outside of thebox, it follows that all evaporation from the moistening pad containedin the pocket must be within the box, where alone it is efiective forthe purpose. of moistening the cigars.

I am aware that separate pockets or receptacles for the reception ofmoistening pads have heretofore been attached to the lids and otherportions of cigar boxes, and also that a pad-receiving pocket has beenformed on the outside of the box where it is open to the access of theoutside air, and I therefore claim neither of these constructions, but

I claim:

A cigar box composed of sheet material impervious to the air, a side ofwhich is shaped to form an internal pocket for the reception of amoistening pad, said pocket 20 I THOMAS E. FEARON.

Witnesses:

HAMILTON D. TURNER, KATE A. BEADLE.

